Current StatusAt its July 2, 2012 meeting, the City Council adopted the Master Plan and the name Bellevue Airfield Park for Bellevue's newest park. With proper long-term vision and continued design creativity, this park will become a wonderful addition to Bellevue's award-winning park system.

Once fully developed, Bellevue Airfield Park will provide the community with: two lighted synthetic turf sports fields, wooded picnic areas, trail connections, playgrounds, restrooms and parking. It will maintain woodland buffers between the park and nearby residences. The council also approved an expansion of the off-leash dog area at Robinswood Park, which will grow from 1.75 to 5.75 acres.

The first phase of development will be funded with the voter-approved 2008 Parks & Natural Areas Levy. Currently there is funding to complete the design and permitting work, which will begin during Fall 2012 and is expected to take approximately two to three years.

Master Plan and the Planning ProcessA park master plan is a conceptual plan that lays the groundwork for a site’s long-term redevelopment and potential phased implementation. The Parks & Community Services Department led the planning effort, with the assistance of The Portico Group, an experienced landscape architectural and planning firm, together with experts in landfill management, civil and environmental engineering. Bellevue Airfield Park Master Plan

Following an extensive public outreach process, the Parks & Community Services Board and the City Council reviewed the preferred conceptual plans. After the State Environmental Policy Act review permitting process, the council adopted the preferred master plan and park name by resolution. Please see the Master Planning Public Involvement Program (updated July 2012) for more detail.

The Eastgate Area Properties, 2997 160th Ave. SE, are made up of three parcels consisting of 27.5 acres. The properties are strategically located largely in the I-90 Business Park, near the Lake to Lake Trail and major transportation corridors. This is the only remaining undeveloped site in Bellevue large and flat enough to be developed into a park with lit, active recreation.

The smallest (2.47 acres) of the three parcels is a storm water management pond operated by the Bellevue Utilities Department.

The 10.53-acre parcel was purchased from the Bellevue School District in 2004 and is an undeveloped, sloped woodland, surrounded on two sides by single family homes.

The largest of the three parcels was purchased in 2003 with the intent of developing active sports facilities and is a relatively flat, 14.55 acre open space that was operated as a municipal landfill from 1951 to 1964 and an airfield until 1983. From a development perspective the site is rife with utility system easements (abandoned and new) such as a landfill gas migration system, ground water monitoring wells, storm water systems, and a major King County Metro sewer line among others.